ABSTRACT Social relationships, habitat utilisation and life history characteristics provide a framework which enables the survival of populations in fluctuating ecological conditions. An understanding of behavioural ecology is critical to the implementation of Natural Resource Management strategies if they are to succeed in their conservation efforts during the emergence of climate change. Egernia whitii from Wedge Island in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia were used as a model system to investigate the interaction of life history traits, scat piling behaviour and chemosensory communication in social lizards. Juveniles typically took ¡Ý 3 years to reach sexual maturity and the results of skeletochronological studies suggested longevity of ¡Ý 13 years. Combined with a mean litter size of 2.2, a pregnancy rate estimated at 75% of eligible females during short-term studies, and highly stable groups, this information suggests several life history features. Prolonged juvenile development and adult longevity may be prerequisite to the development of parental care. Parental care may, in turn, be the determining factor that facilitates the formation of small family groups. In E. whitii parental care takes the form of foetal and neonatal provisioning and tolerance of juveniles by small family or social groups within established resource areas. Presumably, resident juveniles also benefit from adult territorialism. Research on birds suggests that low adult mortality predisposes cooperative breeding or social grouping in birds, and life history traits and ecological factors appear to act together to facilitate cooperative systems. E. whitii practice scat piling both individually and in small groups. Social benefits arising from signalling could confer both cooperative and competitive benefits. Permanent territorial markers have the potential to benefit conspecifics, congenerics and other species. The high incidence of a skink species (E. whitii) refuging with a gecko species (N. milii) on Wedge Island provides an example of interspecific cooperation. The diurnal refuge of the nocturnal gecko is a useful transient shelter for the diurnal skink. Scat piling may release a species ¡®signature¡¯ for each group that allows mutual recognition. Scat piling also facilitates intraspecific scent marking by individual members, which has the potential to indicate relatedness, or social or sexual status within the group. The discovery of cloacal scent marking activity is new to the Egernia genus. E. Whitii differentiate between their own scats, and conspecific and congeneric scats. They scent mark at the site of conspecific scats, and males and females differ in their response to scent cues over time. Scat piling has the potential to make information concerning the social environment available to dispersing transient and potential immigrant conspecifics, enabling settlement choices to be made. This thesis explores some of the behavioural strategies employed by E. whitii to reduce risks to individuals within groups and between groups. Scents eliciting a range of behavioural responses relevant to the formation of adaptive social groupings, reproductive activity, and juvenile protection until maturity and dispersal are likely to be present in this species. Tests confirming chemosensory cues that differentiate sex, kin and age would be an interesting addition to current knowledge. The interaction of delayed maturity, parental care, sociality, chemosensory communication and scat piling highlights the sophistication of this species¡¯ behaviour. An alternative method for permanently marking lizards was developed. Persistence, reliability and individual discrimination were demonstrated using photographic identification and the method was shown to be reliable for broad-scale application by researchers. Naturally occurring toe loss in the field provided a context against which to examine this alternative identification method and revealed the need to further investigate the consequences of routine toe clipping, as this practice appears to diminish survivorship.

Summary in Tsonga and English / Ndzavisiso lowu wu xopela xiyimo xa mavumbelo, matsalelo, mahikahatelo na mathyelo ya swikomiso na mavulwankatso eka Xitsonga hi xikongomelo xo bumabumela maringaneriselo ya swona. Switiviwa swi huma eka switshuriwa swo hambanahambana swa nomu na swo tsariwa ku katsa na swa dyondzo (swa vuvulavuri, swihlayahlaya na swihlamuselamarito) swihangalasamahungunyingi na swinavetiso etilayiburari, eswikolweni, emagondzweni, eka tibilibodo na le makhumbini ya miako.Tinxaka ta mikomiso ti kumeka eka swa vanhu (mavito, swiyimo, vuxaka), matiko, tin’hweti, masiku ya vhiki, mavito ya tiholideyi, ya tihuvo, ya mihlangano, ya tiyunivhesiti, nasw. Ku na nkomisokulu (wa switshuriwa swo leha swa ndzungulo na swa nkalandzungulo, xikombiso: xihungwana, vumbiwa) na nkomisotsongo (wa switshuriwa swo koma: xivulwa, xivulwahava, rito, xiaki, peletwana). Lowu ndzavisiso wu pakanise nkomisotsongo. Nkomisotsongo wu paluxa mikhetekanyokulu ya mune ya ‘rikhwanyano’, ‘rivulwankatso’, ‘xikomiso’ na ‘rivulwampfilungano’. Swikombiso hi nandzelelano i: ‘za’ < zela); Huriri/(HRR) < ‘Huvo ya Rixaka ya Ririmi’, na (NSFAS > En-es-FAS). Xikomiso xi tihlawulekisa hi ku peleta kumbe ku komisa hi ku tsala ntsena, rito ra kona ri vuriwa hi ku hetiseka. Rikhwanyano na rivulwankatso swona swi tihlawulekisa hi ku vuleka tanihi rito rohelela. Rivulwampfilungano ri hlanganisa rivulwankatso na xikomiso. Rixaka rin’wana na rin’wana ri tlhela ri va na swivumbeko na mahikahatelo yo hambana. Matirhiselo ya swihikahato ya ya hi milawu ya ririmi ro karhi, xikombiso: nkomiso wa rivitavito wu fanele ku sungula hi letere lerikulu. Ndzavisiso wu paluxa leswaku ku tirhisiwa ka hiko (.) swi fanele ku papalatiwa eka nkomiso hikuva hiko yi teka ndhawu leyi nkomiso wu lwelaka ku hunguta yona hileswi hiko na vangwa swi hlayiwaka tanihi xitekandhawu loko ku hlayeriwa maletere. Ndzavisiso lowu wu basisile matheme lama thyiweke mikomiso eka Xitsonga, ku engetela nhlayo ya mikomiso na ku susumeta misinya yo yi ringanerisa. Ndzi bumabumerile swilaveko na swiyila ku pfuneta vahundzuluxeri na ku va seketela hi ku famba ndzi nyika maritondzingano ya Xinghezi laha swi kotekaka. Switandzhaku swi nyika vumbhoni bya leswaku nhluvuko wa mikomiso eka Xitsonga wa tshikeleriwa hi van’wana va lava nyikiweke matimba yo kondletela ntirho wa vuhundzuluxeri, leswi koxaka ku cinca ka maehleketelo. / This study analyses the state of shortenings (abbreviations and acronyms) in Xitsonga in order to determine their formation, structure, punctuation and naming patterns with the aim of recommending standardisation strategies. The data was collected from various oral and written sources. Various types of shortenings manifest in human phenomena (names, social positions and relations), names of countries, months, weekdays, holidays, boards, organisations, universities, etcetera. There are long shortened texts (e.g. abstracts, summaries) and short texts (sentence, phrase, word, morpheme, syllable). This study focusses on the short texts. Short texts fall into four major categories: ‘compression’, ‘acronym’, ‘abbreviation’ and ‘acreviation’ (combination of acronym and abbreviation). Examples of these forms are respectively ‘za’ < ‘zela’; ‘Huriri’/HRR < ‘Huvo ya Rixaka ya Ririmi’; and NSFAS > En-es- FAS. An ‘Abbreviation’ is characterised by spelling the word letter-by-letter or using it only in writing but uttering its full form when reading, while compression and acronym are characterised by the word’s ‘pronounceability’ in normal syllables. ‘Acreviation’ describes a combination of ‘acronym’ and ‘abbreviation’. Each of these forms further reveals different structural and punctuation patterns. The use of punctuation marks depends on the rules of a specific language, for example, the shortening of a proper name has to begin with a capital letter. The study also reveals that as much as possible, the use of a period should be avoided in the abbreviation as it occupies the space which the abbreviation intends to save because a full stop and space are counted as a character when a word count is done. This study has successfully clarifies the terminology used in the naming of shortenings in Xitsonga, increases the number of shortenings and proposes standardisation guidelines. The researcher recommends do’s and don’t’s for translators and provides English equivalents where applicable. The addenda provide evidence in support of the fact that the development of abbreviations and acronyms in Xitsonga is still thwarted by some individuals who are given coordination roles in translation projects and that a change of mindset is necessary. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)